Comic Rewind: Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

Story Synopsis: Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung: The Complete Collection

The Avengers are no more, but crime has not ended.  With the Avengers gone, find out who can fill their role in this week’s Comic Rewind, Young Avengers by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung: The Complete Collection.

Nathaniel Richards, a distant future relative of Reed Richards, was not very popular.  He was getting bullied and a mysterious stranger showed up.  This mysterious stranger was none other than Kang The Conqueror.  Kang told young Richards to embrace his anger because one day he would become Kang The Conqueror.  Richards was terrified that he would one day turn into Kang so he fled to the past.

He thought if he could find the Avengers of the past they could help prevent him from becoming Kang.  However, the Avengers had disbanded.  Richards used the armor Kang gave him and tapped into Vision’s mind and found a hidden protocol.  If the Avengers ever disbanded, died or were somehow no more Vision had a list of replacements.

These replacements were Patriot, the grandson of the original Captain America before Steve Rogers.  Hulkling a shapeshifting mutant and his boyfriend Asgardian later known as Wiccan.  These three along wth Richards now known as Iron Lad formed the Young Avengers, but the team is later joined by Hawkeye, Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang, Stature, the daughter of Scott Lang Ant-Man and a speedster who looks like Wiccan’s twin.

Cap And Iron Man AKA The Party Poopers

However, when Iron Man and Captain America find out about the young team they make it their mission to shut them down before they get themselves killed.  However, do teenagers ever listen to authority?

Young Avengers was written by Allan Heinberg with art by Neal Adams,  Andrea Di Vito, Jim Cheung and others. Marvel Comics published the collection in 2019 but the original run was from 2005 to 2007.

Introduction To Kang The Conqueror And The Young Avengers

I read this a long time ago when I was first getting into comics and absolutely loved it.  There is a lot of talk about Kang being the next big villain in the Avengers movies.  I wanted to take some time and reintroduce myself to a bit of Kang lore.

This does an alright job of introducing Kang, but the Young Avengers are where the story shines. Each character has a lot of heart and personality.  They are all really powerful and the reader grows to love them.  The sad thing is that the only real Young Avenger around today is mostly Hawkeye.  She is great, but I really like Wiccan and Hulkling, but we don’t see them much now.

We Need More Young Avengers

This is the completed work of Heinberg’s original run on the Young Avengers, but he did a part two a little while later which is just as good.  I think I may read that next because I couldn’t get enough of this comic.

The other teen hero team which came on the scene around the same time are the Runaways and this book even references them.  Runaways are popular and have a TV series, but they are so much less interesting than Young Avengers.  I am excited to see Bishop’s Hawkeye on Disney+ because it means we may see the other Young Avengers in the not so distant future.

This comic has everything a regular Avengers comic would have, but with characters who are going to be new for a lot of readers.

If you want a brief introduction to Kang, a different kind of Avengers story or meet the female Hawkeye at her start then you should check out this comic because you will not be disappointed.

Rating:

5/5

Where To Buy This Comic

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